Gov. Tina Kotek is joining a chorus of voices – including tribes and commercial fishermen – urging the Biden administration to slow down its push for floating wind farms in the Pacific Ocean off the state’s southern coast.
In a letter sent Friday to Elizabeth Klein, director of the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Kotek asked the agency to pause identifying and leasing offshore wind areas in order to fully evaluate impacts on the environment and economy.
The letter was also signed by U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle and U.S. Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, all Oregon Democrats. Bonamici represents the North Coast.
“Many valid questions and concerns remain about floating offshore wind,” they wrote. “These must be addressed transparently before we can support proceeding further toward any substantial development decisions on the Oregon Coast.”
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management has already identified two call areas for offshore wind near Coos Bay and Brookings. Together, they cover a combined 1,812 square miles of ocean.
Regulators are now preparing a draft report outlining where in the areas turbines may be built safely while minimizing harm to fisheries and marine life.
Members of the West Coast fishing industry, however, claim that the bureau is ignoring their concerns. They worry that floating offshore wind farms will displace boats from highly productive fishing grounds and could irreversibly damage the California Current ecosystem.
The Pacific Fishery Management Council has requested that the bureau rescind its two Oregon call areas and start the process over analyzing the entire coast.
The Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians also passed a resolution at its 2023 Midyear Convention asking the bureau to “immediately halt all scoping and permitting for offshore wind projects until a comprehensive and transparent procedure is developed and implemented to protect tribal environmental and sovereign interests.”
The Biden administration has set a goal of deploying 30 gigawatts of renewable offshore wind energy by 2030 to slow climate change.
Kotek and members of Oregon’s congressional delegation stated in their letter that they support taking bold steps on climate action, and floating offshore wind turbines could be a key component to accomplishing that objective.
“However, any offshore wind project must be done responsibly and in collaboration with local communities, including fishing and tribal stakeholders,” they wrote.
Hitting the pause button would give the state more time to develop a coordinated approach with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to avoid potential conflicts, they stated.
